The Corpse Burial Mountain Range is located at the junction of the southwestern region of the Middle Continent. The terrain here naturally gathers yin energy, resulting in the Yin Qi in the mountain range being so dense that it is almost impossible to dissipate, and it is shrouded in gray-black mist all year round.
What's even more chilling is that the Yin Qi aura was mixed with a nauseating, thick Corpse Qi.
Because almost all the deceased within a radius of thousands of miles are buried here, countless graves are layered upon layered across the mountains and fields, making this mountain range, in a sense, a strange mountain range composed of countless tombs.
On ordinary days, this place is almost deserted, with deathly silence being its eternal theme. The chilling mountain wind blows through the tombstones and skeletons, making a mournful sound like the wailing of ghosts. No one would want to stay in such a ghostly and lifeless place.
"Call out!"
However, today, the gloomy sky over this desolate mountain range was suddenly ripped apart by a sharp, piercing sound.
A dozen streaks of light flashed past at a speed beyond visual perception, and finally appeared silently on the summit of a solitary peak deep within the mountains, like ghosts.
The leader was none other than Lin Ming.
Behind him followed eleven Ancient Dragon Clan Dou Sheng Expert, led by the Three Great Dragon Kings Zhu Xu, Zhu Feng, Zhu You! Each of them exuded a boundless aura, and their mere natural pressure caused the dense Yin Qi and Corpse Qi around them to recede and surge.
At this moment, their gazes all turned to the core area of the mountain range.
There, seemingly no different from its surroundings, covered by tall, twisted, gray, withered trees, but if one were to carefully perceive it with the Soul Power, one could discover that the space there had an unnatural distortion and fluctuation, as if a transparent veil was covering the evil hidden behind it.
"The Tiangang Hall's Human Hall is located deep within this Corpse Burial Mountain Range, hidden behind this spatial barrier."
Lin Ming pointed to the distorted space, his voice calm yet carrying a chilling Killing Intent.
"However, there is a unique spatial barrier set up there by the Soul Hall. Once any external force breaks in, it will be immediately detected by the powerful guards stationed inside."
At this moment, Lin Ming turned to look at the three strongest individuals beside him— Zhu Xu, Zhu Feng, and Zhu You— and ordered in a deep voice, "Therefore, before we take action, completely seal off this area! Use your most proficient Space Power to set up a cage. Remember, seal it with multiple layers, making it so sturdy that... even if a powerhouse of your level were to self-destruct inside, they wouldn't be able to break through it in a short time!"
Lin Ming's orders were clear and ruthless. What he wanted was to trap the enemy like a turtle in a jar, leaving no possibility for the information to leak or for the enemy to escape!
"Understood!" Zhu Xu, Zhu Feng, Zhu You immediately nodded in agreement.
Although the three of them still felt humiliated, under the absolute control of the Dragon Soul, they dared not be negligent in the slightest. So, their eyes narrowed, and they stepped forward at the same time. The terrifying battle Dou Qi of the Late Stage Three-Star Dou Saint erupted like a dormant volcano!
At this moment, the three of them slowly raised their hands and gently clenched them in the vast space in front of them. They did not use any fancy Dou Technique, but simply mobilized the innate ability of the Ancient Void Dragon to control space.
"Buzz--!!!"
As they moved, the space around them began to ripple violently, yet silently.
At this moment, layers upon layers of transparent spatial barriers, visible to the naked eye, formed rapidly, like giant soap bubbles, yet containing terrifying power capable of annihilating Dou Venerate.
They nested one inside the other, tightly connected, and eventually transformed into an enormous, nest-like triple spatial barrier, like an inverted giant bowl, completely enveloping and sealing off the core area where the Soul Hall and the Human Hall were located, along with their own spatial barrier!
At this moment, from the outside, the area only appeared to have a more pronounced sense of spatial distortion, but from the inside, especially for those trying to break through, it would be an indestructible death cage!
Having done all this, the three Dragon King calmly withdrew their hands, nodded slightly to Lin Ming, and indicated that they were done.
Lin Ming nodded in satisfaction, his gaze returning to the depths of the heavily sealed-off area, a cold smile playing on his lips.
"Then... let the hunt begin!"
After speaking, he took the lead and stepped forward, his body flowing through the passage specially left for the group to pass through as if it were part of the water. Behind him, eleven Dou Sheng Expert followed silently like shadows.
Passing through the outer barrier and entering the sealed interior space, the scene before you suddenly changes.
This is a region completely different from the outer Corpse Burial Mountain Range.
On the surface of the land, exposed, pale skeletons are everywhere, Human Form, others of various beasts, most incomplete, exuding a chilling coldness and deathly stillness. The land itself is an eerie, pitch-black color, as if it has been stained by endless resentment and blood for millions of years.
The air was thick with yin Yin Qi and the Corpse Qi, mixed with the resentful fluctuations left by countless souls after their painful wails. If an ordinary strong person stayed here for too long, their mind would probably be corrupted.
At the very center of this vast region, a Black Giant Hall, as majestic as a mountain, stands silently like Ancient Fierce Beast crouching on the earth.
The entire colossal palace was constructed from an unknown black stone, its surface smooth as a mirror, yet seemingly capable of absorbing all light and emanating a sinister aura that devoured everything. Within it were countless thick, Black Chains engraved with strange runes, extending from all parts of the palace like Giant Python, deeply penetrating the surrounding ground, as if drawing some kind of power from beneath the earth.
And on these slowly writhing chains, thick wisps of Black Mist were clearly visible!
The Black Mist twisted and shifted, vaguely coalescing into a blurry Human Form outline. From time to time, the chains shimmered with a dark light, as if supplying nutrients, which flowed into the Black Mist, making Black Mist more solid and its aura increasingly chilling.
The entire area was completely silent, save for the occasional soft "click" of chains rubbing together and the faint hissing sound from the Black Mist. An eeriness and quiet enveloped the place, enough to send chills down the spine of any intruder.
"Whoosh!"
This deathly silence lasted for an unknown period of time. Suddenly, several wisps of Black Mist that had been coiled on the chains surged violently and stood up abruptly.
The Black Mist rapidly contracted, condensing into several pale-faced, empty-eyed, and indifferent figures. These figures exchanged glances without speaking, and with a swift movement, they converged together like ghosts.
"Let's go, it's our turn to go on a mission." One of the figures, seemingly the leader, spoke in a hoarse, metallic voice, devoid of any emotion. "Hopefully, this time, we can bring back enough souls of sufficient quantity and quality to replenish the Soul Pool..."
"Heh heh," a sinister laugh rang out from the side, a greedy glint flashing in his eyes shrouded in Black Mist. "If we could go to the area where the Pill Tower is located and slaughter our way through, the quality and quantity of Alchemist's souls there would far surpass those of other places..."
"Hmph! Shut up!" the leader interrupted sharply, a hint of barely perceptible fear in his voice. "Those Old Monster in the Pill Tower are not yours to mess with. If you don't want to be annihilated, you'd better behave yourself and find somewhere you can gather the loot!"
Without another word, he waved his hand, and several figures transformed into Black Mist once more, hurtling towards the edge of the sealed space like arrows, preparing to break through the spatial barrier to "hunt."
"Bang!!"
However, just as these wisps of Black Mist were about to touch the spatial barrier, a sudden change occurred!
The space around them suddenly solidified without warning, as if it had instantly turned into ancient black Mysterious Iron! Immediately afterward, an irresistible and terrifying spatial compression force surged in from all directions!
"Pfft--!"
Like eggs crushed by an invisible giant hand, these wisps of Black Mist, along with the figures of the Hall of Souls Venerate within them, didn't even have time to utter a scream before being squeezed and ground into nothingness by the terrifying Space Power in an instant! Not even a trace of their souls remained!
"Sizzle--!"
Almost simultaneously, the solid spatial barrier was slowly torn open from the outside by a brute force, creating a huge gap.
Then, a dozen figures, as if taking a stroll, slowly stepped into the crack, their feet firmly planted on the dark and eerie ground.
This was Lin Ming and his group!
"Waaaaah!!!"
The moment Lin Ming and his group stepped into this space, the silent Black Giant Hall seemed to have its core alarm system triggered, instantly erupting with an extremely shrill wail, like the wailing of ten thousand ghosts! The sound was sharp and pierced straight to the soul!
At the same time, the Black Mist clinging to the countless chains, like being thrown into boiling oil, began to boil violently! Countless gazes filled with violence, malice, and greed shot out from the Black Mist, locking onto the uninvited intruder!
"How dare you trespass on the territory of my Soul Hall! You're courting death!!"
A series of chilling shouts swept across the area like a tidal wave, instantly shattering the deathly silence that had persisted in this space for countless years.
Immediately afterwards, hundreds and thousands of black shadows, like startled wasps, leaped up from the chains. Without any command, they transformed into sharp black rays, bringing with them a sinister wind that Space-Rending, and surged towards Lin Ming and the others in a devastating attack!
The momentum was like a black tide of death, threatening to completely engulf these dozen or so people!
Faced with this overwhelming offensive, Lin Ming simply smiled, showing no sign of tension.
"A bunch of cannon fodder Puppet who aren't even fully conscious, yet they're running around so happily!" After saying this, Lin Ming didn't let any of the Dou Sheng behind him make a move; instead, he simply made a slight thought.
"Call--!"
A terrifying Sea of Fire, intensely hot and a deep, dark purple, erupted from his mouth like a burst dam! The Sea of Fire surged and spread rapidly, blocking the way for everyone.
"Sizzle sizzle sizzle--!"
Those dark figures that rushed in madly, as soon as they entered within ten feet of the Sea of Fire, their bodies melted away the moment they came into contact with the flames, just like ice and snow meeting the sun!
The Black Mist evaporated, and the soul core hidden within it let out a silent wail. Then, in less than three breaths, it completely vanished into nothingness, leaving not even a wisp of smoke! Some of the weaker ones didn't even have time to react before they were vaporized by the terrifying heat at the edge of the Sea of Fire!
The Sea of Fire was like an insurmountable Natural Chasm.
The dark figures that had been charging forward madly were finally stopped in their tracks by the terrifying sight, staring in Deadly Land at the dark purple death zone.
Fear finally surged into their minds, which had been nearly numbed by the secret arts of the Soul Hall. Only now did they realize that these uninvited guests were not lambs to their deaths, but rather truly well-prepared evil spirits who were there to uproot them!
"You insolent wretch! How dare you run wild in my Soul Hall! You're really tired of living!"
Just as the Sea of Fire blocked countless cannon fodder, a furious roar suddenly erupted from within the Black Giant Hall. The sound was like thunder, shaking the space and making it hum, clearly indicating that the speaker was extremely powerful.